My photoshoot - sneak peek!

I finally had myself talked into modeling for photos... I had loads of fun!

More pictures and make-up breakdown coming soon!

New Ocean FOTD with TKB Trading Pigments!

A week ago I received this packet full of TKB goodies and I couldn't wait to try them for a FOTD.

Summer has definitely come here, and I even managed to get a bit of a tan. I'm actually using MAC Face&Body Foundation in C3 right now, which is a true achievement for my uber-pale skin!

Given that I have a bit of colour on my face now, I decided to experiment with shades that I wouldn't normally wear, like blues. I usually don't like how blue eyeshadow looks against my eyes, except for very dark (think deep navy) or very pale, icy blues. However, with this "new" skin colour, everything feels possible ;)

Pic taken with flash in natural daylight

I'm using a new camera now, so apologies if the pictures aren't the best quality, I still have to figure out how to make the most of it.

Pic taken with no flash, natural daylight - sorry for the crop

Eyes - with flash

Eyes - no flash

Eye detail - no flash

I also loved how this coral lipstick looked paired with blues!

Products:

FACE
MAC Face&Body Foundation in C3
MUFE Full Cover Concealer in 3
Clinique Redness Relief powder
MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
Avon Supershock Gel Liner (waterline)
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Rockstar 
TKB pigment in Capricorn Sea (centre of lid) and Blue Ice (above crease)
Inglot e/s in matte371 (inner part of lid), pearl453 (browbone and inner corner of eye), matte388 (liner, upper and lower lashline)
Clinique High Impact Mascara
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
ELF Brow Kit in Ash

LIPS
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Spring Bouquet


I will post a review on TKB Trading Pigments soon!

Nicki Minaj inspired - Glitter FOTD

I know I'm probably the most different thing from Nicki on earth, and I'm also not her biggest fan around, but I saw her make-up in the video "Moment 4 Life" the other day and my jaw dropped. I HAD to recreate this!This is her make-up for reference: 

 To see the glitter in action, watch her video here ! And this is my attempt:

Please NOTE: at the moment of taking the pictures I didn't see that the inner half of my left false eyelash had come off, so please excuse the grossness you see in the close-ups.
Please NOTE II: in real life this looked BOOM KAPOW! In the pictures it's a LOT washed out unfortunately. Keep what you see in the video as a reference, because it's all about the glitters.  This pic is a little blurry but the glitter shows through better:

 Products

FACE
Bourjois 10hr Sleep Effect foundation (2nd lightest shade)
MUFE Full Cover concealer n.3
ELF HD Powder
TONS of Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer (I definitely can't pretend to be a WOC but I can at least fake some sort of summer glow!)

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot
Stars Makeup Haven e/s in Mimosa (lid)
MAC e/s in Soba (crease)
Urban Decay e/s in Virgin (browbone)
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
Too Faced Glitter Glue
MUFE Diamond Powder (glitter on lid)
Too Faced Starry Eyed eyeliner in Stalkerazzi (lower lashline)
Clinique High Impact mascara
Red Cherry False Lashes 600ELF Brow Kit in Ash

LIPS
NYX Lip Liner in Dolly Pink
MAC Speed Dial l/s 

July Photoshoot: Summer Dusk

Model: Rubina

Products

FACE
OCC Skin Primer
MAC Face&Body in N1+C3
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
MAC Cream Color Base in Luna
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder
Estee Lauder Soft Matte Bronzer
MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
KIKO Eyeshadow Stick n.20 (black base)
Stars Makeup Haven e/s in Chic (purple, on lid)
Urban Decay e/s in Buck (crease)
MAC e/s in Blanc Type (browbone)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Make Up For Ever e/s 04 (matte black, smoked out along the lashline)
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
Screenface False Eyelashes n.600
MAC Eye Brows in Fling (brows)

LIPS
MAC Subculture lip liner
MAC Hue l/s

This smokey eye work wonders for green eyes. The colour on the lid was actually a dark purple, but it looks almost black in the pictures. I will try to recreate this look on myself so that you can see how gorgeous a purple/brown/black smokey eye can be!

NYX Round Lipstick Review, Photo, Swatches and FOTD

I recently ordered some lip stuff on the NYX website and a couple of days ago I finally got my goodies!! This first review is for the two Round Lipstick I purchased, Power and Tea Rose.

L-R: Tea Rose, Power

Tea Rose is a gorgeous rosy pink with a touch of coral.Power is a cool-toned pale pink with strong purple undertones.
They are both very pigmented, opaque and creamy, in fact they are so creamy that applying straight from the tube will likely result in a hot bleedy mess. I find that their beauty is maximized when using a lip brush and working the colour in layers. Also, I think that with this kind of formula using a lipliner as a base is a must. NYX make some excellent inexpensive lip liners that I will review soon. They both have a creamy, luminous finish and feel very hydrating.

Swatches on the inside of my arm: 

L-R: Power, Tea Rose

The packaging is very simple but it scores a big plus for me since the actual colour of the lipstick is reproduced on the bottom of the tube, which makes finding them extremely easy!
The only thing I really dislike about them is their smell! I'm not easily bothered by smells in cosmetics, but these have a very strong fragrance that is still detectable half an hour after the application. I'm no good at describing fragrances, but this one I really do not like. I was really put off by this one detail because it makes wearing these lipsticks definitely less pleasant than I expected.
As for the duration, I wouldn't classify them as "long wearing" but they definitely last 3 to 4 hours without budging. I would use a lip primer underneath for best results though! My MAC Prep+Prime Lip extends their wear and brightness of a good hour/hour and a half.
They are really good value for your money, since they cost £4.95 on the NYX UK website, though you can easily get them for less on Lovemakeup or Cocktailcosmetics.
 RECAP! PROs:- beautiful shades (and many more in the whole range)
- pigmented and creamy- moisturizing feel - inexpensive- practical packaging
CONs:- the smell! (although this really depends on you)- tendency to bleed

To finish off this post, here's me wearing Power! 

Product breakdown
FACE
MUFE HD Foundation 117 + MAC Face&Body C3
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
MAC Blush in Dame
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder

EYES
MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot
Estee Lauder Double Wear eyeliner in Onyx
NYX Black e/s (smudged on top of eyeliner)
Inglot e/s DS501 (lid), Matte348 (crease, lower lashline), Pearl453 (browbone&tearduct)
Max Factor 2000 Calories Mascara

LIPS
NYX Slim Lip Liner in Dolly Pink
NYX Round l/s in Power

Colourful summer FOTD with Inglot eyeshadows!

I spent a couple of days at the seaside and got a little bit tanned (which for me means getting like NC20). So today I felt like playing with bright beachy colours!! 

Products

FACE
MAC Face&Body N1+C3
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer
MAC Blush in Melba

EYES
MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (upper waterline)
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Rockstar (lower waterline)
Inglot e/s AMCshine31 (lid), matte392 (crease and above), matte371 (liner)
Stila Luster e/s (cut crease, lower lashline)
Stars Makeup Haven e/s in Creme d'Nude (blending, transition) and The White Shadow (highlight)
Max Factor 2000 Calories Mascara

LIPS
MAC Lustering l/s

Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadow Review, Photo, Swatches and EOTD!

I've had these eyeshadows for a couple of months now and I can honestly say that they're GREAT! I reach for them as often as my MAC shadows. I purchased them along with a few other things on love-makeup.co.uk. They are £4 each, so I figured I might as well trust the hype and buy a fair amount! I'm so glad I did!

Karlasugar has a very comprehensive post about these, including high-quality swatches. Check her review here.

They are sold in pan form, so I organized them in a MAC palette:

Onto the swatches (and my attempt at shade description):

Left to right:
- Over the Moon: dirty yellow gold (shimmery)
- Mimosa: pale yellow gold (shimmery)
- Pink Opal: white/pink duochrome (frosty)
- Creme d'Nude: flesh colour (which is why you probably can't see that on my arm... but it makes for a great transition colour on me, or a natural highlight on dark skintones. I use this one a lot) (matte)
- The White Shadow: plain white, MAC Gesso dupe (matte)

Left to right:
- Calypso: muted grey with strong blue undertones (very shimmery)
- 1492: electric blue with blue shimmer (shimmery)
- Evergreen: medium bluish-green (matte)
- Fresh: emerald green with light green/gold shimmer (shimmery)
- Fireflies: neon yellow (matte)

Left to right:
- Primal: dark brown with a metallic cool sheen (shimmery)
- Charade: chocolate brown (matte)
- Showstopper: medium reddish brown with purple undertones (matte)
- Breathless: taupe with purple undertones (shimmery)
- Chic: purple with subtle silver shimmer (shimmery)

PROs:
- great pigmentation
- soft, buttery, long-lasting eyeshadows
- wide range of colours, interesting shades
- shades have names (did you hear that, Inglot?)
- great value for money

CONs:
- can only buy online and therefore cannot see shades in person
- some shades have a little fallout (but I just tap the excess off my brush or foil them)

Finally, this is an eye look I realized a few days ago with one of the craziest shades I got, Fireflies:

Apparently, some yellows can work on fair skintones too!

Have you tried SMH eyeshadows yet? How do you feel about them? Say it in the comments!

STILA Backstage Palette: Review, Photo, Swatches

This review is for something I've had and played with for a few months already.

I got this tiny palette for a really good deal on eBay after reading the rave about it. I must say this product totally blew me away!

What you get is a tiny cardboard package that looks kind of like an organizer. It is very compact and I guess it would be ideal to just toss it in a pocket bag. It has a magnet that keeps it closed and no mirror inside, just an inspirational quote by a well-known make-up artist. You get six full-sized eyeshadows totalling 11 grams, which is not a bad amount for the money. 

Now, down to the product itself. The eyeshadows have amazing pigmentation and there’s a lovely balance between shimmery and satiny finishes (no matte shades though). What really gives full score for me however, is the colours that Stila decided to put inside this palette.

My attempt at describing the shades, left to right, top to bottom:

-       Chiffon: soft light peachy pink (shimmery)

-       Flamingo: medium fuchsia (satiny)

-       Pacific: medium blue (satiny)

-       Luster: golden mauvy brown (satiny)

-       Poetic: dusty pinkish taupe (shimmery)

-       Coal: deep teal (shimmery)

I really think that these colours are absolutely great all together in a palette. The ones on the bottom row are especially unique and in all likelihood my favourites. They are all very wearable in a variety of combinations.

This palette has the perfect balance between brights and neutrals, warm and cool colours, so I can see this working for either daytime and nighttime looks and on a variety of complexions. There is no complimentary accessory inside, no mirror or brush whatsoever, but what really counts is that this palette is truly adorable! Swatches below:

L-R: Chiffon, Flaming, Pacific, Luster, Poetic, Coal

Tried and tested, they do not crease (I do wear an eyeshadow primer though) and fallout is not a big deal either.

Have you tried this Stila palette yet? Are you loving it or leaving it? Say it in the comments!

Dark lady FOTD

I had SO much fun doing this FOTD (which I am not wearing to go out btw) but I'm not quite sure how it turned out.. I kept it minimal on the eyes and only applied highlighter on my cheekbones.

I visited my nearest Inglot store yesterday so I wanted to play with this vampy lip paint I bought.

Sorry if I look silly in the pics but I just couldn't get myself to smile with this m/u!! =)

Products

FACE
OCC Skin Primer
MUFE HD Foundation 117
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
Clinique Redness Solutions Pressed Powder
Inglot e/s 453 (pearly white) (cheekbone highlight)

EYES
MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot
Inglot e/s 390matte (crease), 341matte (lid), 453pearl (browbone)
Estee Lauder Double Wear pencil liner in Onyx (upper waterline)
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
Ardell Lashes 101Demi

LIPS
Diego dalla Palma Eye Pencil 09 (dark purple-plum)
Inglot AMC Lip Paint n.69 (looks almost black IRL)

FOTD: neutral eyes + red lips!

I LOVE MAC Lady Danger. It's so bright, warm, and RED! 

  Product breakdown 
FACE
OCC Skin Primer
MUFE HD Foundation 117
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
NYX Powder Blushes in Taupe (contour), Raisin (cheeks)
Clinique Redness Solutions Pressed Powder

EYES
MAC Soft Ochre PP
MAC e/s Blanc type (entire eye area), Kid (transition-blending)
Stars Makeup Haven e/s in Chocolate (crease)
UD Virgin (highlight)
NYX black/brown e/s (from the Caribbean I dream of st. John palette) (liner)
Estee Lauder Double Wear pencil liner in Onyx (waterline)
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Ardell Accent Lashes 311

LIPS
MAC l/s in Lady Danger